Live export ship with two Australians and thousands of cattle on board missing amid Typhoon Maysak
The Gulf Livestock 1 ship is missing off the coast of Japan after strong winds from typhoon Maysak lashed the region. Source: Supplied
Japan’s coastguard has rescued one person in the search for a cargo ship carrying livestock and 43 crew members, including two Australians that went missing in the East China Sea after issuing a distress signal as typhoon Maysak lashed the region.
The Gulf Livestock 1 departed Napier in New Zealand on 14 August with 5,867 cattle on board, bound for the Port of Jingtang in Tangshan, China. The journey was expected to take about 17 days, New Zealand’s foreign ministry said.
The ship sent a distress call from the west of Amami Oshima island in southwestern Japan. Strong winds and rains from typhoon Maysak were hampering rescue efforts.
The crew was made up of 39 members from the Philippines, two from New Zealand, and two from Australia, the coastguard said.
A spokeswoman for the coastguard said one person was rescued on Thursday during the search for the ship after being spotted adrift wearing a life jacket.
The Australian government said they were providing consular assistance to the families of two Australian crew members on board a cargo vessel reported missing in Japanese waters, a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson told SBS News.
“Owing to our privacy obligations we are unable to provide further comment,” they said.
